To The Editor:
The near closing of Wildwood Catholic is only the tip of the iceberg concerning a much larger issue. The fact is, Cape May County is losing population and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Some may think that this isn’t a problem, but need we forget that the schools in the county are major employers? In fact, the main reason people are leaving is because there aren’t enough jobs to go around; especially high-paying year-round jobs.
Of course during the summer there are more jobs than people, but these are mainly temporary jobs in the retail, hospitality and the restaurant industries. College students and foreigners fill most of these jobs. The leadership in this county needs to embrace and attract new industries in the county that can help bring more high-paying jobs so we can slow, or stop, people from moving elsewhere.
I’m not talking about putting smokestacks in the county, but rather high-tech industries like engineering. Or we could embrace new industries already in the county, like the now-thriving wineries. Even the leasing of Ponderlodge to Stockton brings exciting opportunities. Perhaps it could become a real branch campus one day.
The problem is that the leadership in our towns aren’t even discussing these possibilities. The only thing that seems to be on their mind is attracting more people to the shore for tourism. While that is an essential part of our economy, we cannot solely rely on it. If they do not make real attempts to bring high-paying jobs down here, the exodus is going to continue until much of the area becomes ghost towns for most of the year.
MICHAEL STODDARD
Rutgers, Camden
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
